Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT F1 Safety Car - Web Exclusive

Yeah, that name’s a mouthful but this thing is awesome.

Safety cars vary pretty diversely in the world of motorsports, but there’s almost always a guarantee that if Mercedes builds a safety car it’ll be loud, badass and stunning.

This weekend’s 2012 Formula 1 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix is almost a promised time that the SLS AMG GT will head out onto the track in Singapore’s Marina Bay. As an official F1 Safety Car the SLS has to be able to both keep and set pace and get somewhere fast while having the ability to stop in an instant.

The SLS AMG GT has had an increase in output, now 591hp, along with faster shift times and the new AMG Ride Control Performance suspension.

Bernd Mayländer will be behind the wheel and he’s in love with the car. “"The SLS AMG GT is the best Safety Car I have driven!" he said. “The combination of increased performance, optimised transmission shift times and the new AMG Ride Control Performance suspension takes the driving dynamics of the gullwing model to an even higher level. I have now been driving the different Safety Cars since 2000, and with each new vehicle I notice a significant enhancement over the previous model. This is where the pursuit of high performance and precision, which is so typical of Mercedes-AMG, is clearly evident again."

The Official F1™ Safety Car has been deployed six times to date in the 2012 Formula 1™ season, with the drivers spending a total of 138.1 kilometres under Safety Car conditions. The longest Safety Car phase so far in 2012 came back in March during the second Grand Prix™ of the season at Sepang in Malaysia, lasting for a total of eight laps (44.3 km) before and after the race restart, owing to torrential rainfall. The 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship™ saw the Safety Car deployed a record-breaking 21 times, for a total distance of 452.3 kilometers.

The cool thing here, though, is that the SLS AMG is so goddamn good in stock trim that it barely needed changing for the duties as Saftey Car. There are only subtle differences between the standard and GT version including a black wing-shaped cross fin, matching the fins on the hood and wings, all flowing with the darkened headlights and tail lights. Inside there’s a black gauge cluster fascia and the AMG Performance steering wheel with a flat-bottom and high-gloss black solid metal insert, with grip areas trimmed in Alcantara. To finish it off there’s a GT badge next to the factory AMG badge. Sounds perfect, we’ll take two.